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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: staff · jam · court · rash · ball · bark · tube · snap

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. tube — the underground
  4. staff — a stick
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. snap — to click
  7. staff — employees
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. ball — a dance
  10. ball — a great time
  11. tube — a container
  12. bark — to shout
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. staff — employees
  15. rash — a series
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. rash — hasty
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. court — for sport
  21. court — of a king
  22. court — of law
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. tube — in a tire

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com